A conventional apparatus for forming deposited film includes a chamber, a gas introduction path for introducing material gases into the chamber, and a pair of electrodes arranged in the chamber. Further, a substrate on which a deposited film is formed is placed on one of the pair of electrodes. The other of the pair of electrodes is connected with a high-frequency power source for applying high-frequency power to this electrode.
The material gases are decomposed, excited and activated with the applied high-frequency power as dissociation energy in the space sandwiched between the pair of electrodes, to thereby generate various reactive species. Then, a part of those reactive species is deposited on the substrate, to thereby form a film.
An apparatus capable of forming a high quality film at a high speed is desired as the above-mentioned apparatus for forming deposited film. Particularly in a case of a thin film Si-based solar cell, it is desired to form a high quality Si-based thin film at a high speed for reducing the cost of manufacturing solar cells.
Therefore, the applicants have proposed a gas separation-type plasma CVD apparatus containing a heated catalyzer as an apparatus that successfully forms a high quality Si-based thin film at a high speed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-313272).